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Prescription for Pain: How a Once-Promising Doctor Became the "Pill Mill Killer"
An obsessive true crime investigation of a bizarre and unlikely perpetrator, who’s serving the opioid epidemic’s longest term for illegal prescriptions — four life sentences
Written in the tradition of I'll Be Gone in the Dark and True Crime Addict , combining Dopesick's heart rending portrayal of the epidemic's victims with Empire of Pain's examination of its perpetrators
This haunting and propulsive debut follows a journalist’s years-long investigation into his father's old former high school valedictorian Paul Volkman, who once seemed destined for greatness after earning his MD and his PhD from the prestigious University of Chicago, but is now serving four consecutive life sentences at a federal prison in Arizona.
Volkman was the central figure in a massive “pill mill” scheme in southern Ohio. His pain clinics accepted only cash, employed armed guards, and dispensed a torrent of opioid painkillers and other controlled substances. For nearly three years, Volkman remained in business despite raids by law enforcement and complaints from patients’ family members. Prosecutors would ultimately link him to the overdose deaths of 13 patients, though investigators explored his ties to at least 20 other deaths.
This groundbreaking book is based on 12 years of correspondence and interviews with Volkman. Eil also traveled to 19 states, interviewed more than 150 people, and filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the Drug Enforcement Administration that led to the release of nearly 20,000 pages of trial evidence.
The American opioid epidemic is, like this book, a true crime story. Through this one doctor’s story, an era of unfathomable tragedy is brought down to a tangible, and devastating, human scale.
Written in the tradition of I'll Be Gone in the Dark and True Crime Addict , combining Dopesick's heart rending portrayal of the epidemic's victims with Empire of Pain's examination of its perpetrators
This haunting and propulsive debut follows a journalist’s years-long investigation into his father's old former high school valedictorian Paul Volkman, who once seemed destined for greatness after earning his MD and his PhD from the prestigious University of Chicago, but is now serving four consecutive life sentences at a federal prison in Arizona.
Volkman was the central figure in a massive “pill mill” scheme in southern Ohio. His pain clinics accepted only cash, employed armed guards, and dispensed a torrent of opioid painkillers and other controlled substances. For nearly three years, Volkman remained in business despite raids by law enforcement and complaints from patients’ family members. Prosecutors would ultimately link him to the overdose deaths of 13 patients, though investigators explored his ties to at least 20 other deaths.
This groundbreaking book is based on 12 years of correspondence and interviews with Volkman. Eil also traveled to 19 states, interviewed more than 150 people, and filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the Drug Enforcement Administration that led to the release of nearly 20,000 pages of trial evidence.
The American opioid epidemic is, like this book, a true crime story. Through this one doctor’s story, an era of unfathomable tragedy is brought down to a tangible, and devastating, human scale.
416 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 9, 2024
66 people are currently reading
799 people want to read
About the author
Philip Eil
1 book26 followersI'm a journalist based in my hometown: Providence, R.I.
I was formerly the news editor and staff writer at my local alt-weekly, the Providence Phoenix. Since that paper closed in 2014 (RIP), I have written for a variety of publications, including the Atlantic, Boston Globe, Men's Health, Huffington Post, VICE, the Nation, and Columbia Journalism Review.
My debut book, "Prescription for Pain: How a Once-Promising Doctor Became the 'Pill Mill Killer'" is the result of a decade-long reporting odyssey. It tells the story of Paul Volkman, a med-school classmate of my dad sentenced to four consecutive life terms in prison for prescription drug-dealing.
I love cooking, reading (mostly nonfiction), running, and hanging out with my two cats, Jack and Jill.
I was formerly the news editor and staff writer at my local alt-weekly, the Providence Phoenix. Since that paper closed in 2014 (RIP), I have written for a variety of publications, including the Atlantic, Boston Globe, Men's Health, Huffington Post, VICE, the Nation, and Columbia Journalism Review.
My debut book, "Prescription for Pain: How a Once-Promising Doctor Became the 'Pill Mill Killer'" is the result of a decade-long reporting odyssey. It tells the story of Paul Volkman, a med-school classmate of my dad sentenced to four consecutive life terms in prison for prescription drug-dealing.
I love cooking, reading (mostly nonfiction), running, and hanging out with my two cats, Jack and Jill.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
April 14, 2024
Look at me, actually finishing a book. My reading slump may finally be over. 🎉
And this was well worth finishing. Prescription for Pain is a meticulously crafted and well researched story of a man with more hubris than empathy, the lives that crumpled around him, and the messy legal journey that followed. Get ready for a LENGTHY one y'all.
"I have no regrets about my treatments and no apologies to make." - Paul Volkman, demonstrating one of the tenets of his personality.
Journalist Philip Eil dedicated over a decade to researching and writing this remarkable narrative. (former) Dr Paul Volkman's story strikes some familiar notes; it's yet another story of an unscrupulous doctor operating a pill mill with shockingly little care for the patients. This was significant on both personal and societal levels. His contributions to the nationwide opioid epidemic in the mid 2000s cannot be ignored. But the staggering numbers can't overshadow the hurt experienced by dozens of patients, families, and the small Ohio community where Volkman would set up shop.
Eil spends the early pages of the story going through the various details of Volkman's early life and setting up the necessary context- his education, family, and his, shall we say, rocky, early years as an MD.
Before Volkman's career swung towards pain management, he worked as a pediatric family practitioner, then a locum tenens emergency medicine doctor, floating to various hospitals for short term contracts. He would travel as far as 375 miles one way from his home in Chicago for these contracts. These years weren't smooth sailing for Volkman - he faced malpractice suits and professional sanctions, all of which he denied responsibility for.
Eil's writing does its best to approach the story from an even perspective. His years of communication with Volkman are shadowed by his 'erratic relationship with the truth," and his grandiose stories are taken with a healthy seasoning of salt. The honest facts of the case paint Volkman in an unflattering light, and despite his protestations that he's the victim in all this, it's Volkman who's responsible for every brushstroke.
"I formulated a plan of action almost instantly and was putting it into action by the time the nurse had taken the vital signs, and well before the clerk had typed up a chart." - Paul Volkman, mistaking speed for proper patient care.
It's Volkman's complete refusal of responsibility and guilt that irks me the most. He denied that any of his patients had "any type of ill effect" from these drugs and insisted that every one of his prescriptions was for a legitimate medical purpose.
Of course, basic scrutiny of his records proved this false. He claimed that he required medical records and drug testing, yet, on multiple occasions, when police sent in undercover patients wearing a wire, they were given staggering amounts of drugs after only the most cursory examination. One patient was given prescriptions totaling 720 tablets. He then instructed the patient to come back in just four days. Not for a follow up. For more pills.
Most local pharmacies pretty immediately refused to fill his dangerous prescriptions, which led to Volkman somehow getting even shadier and opening his own in-house pharmacy. In fact, 98% of appointments ended with the patient being prescribed at least one narcotic. In 2004, Volkman was the single largest purchaser of oxycodone in the US. In the ENTIRE UNITED STATES.
For a town of roughly 78,000. Excessive seems too small a word for it.
It wasn't just narcotics. On occasion, he would prescribe a blood pressure med or an asthma inhaler. But the scripts were chiefly made up of staggering amounts of one or two short acting narcotic painkillers, a benzodiazepine for anxiety / sleep (he insisted that the Xanax prescriptions were to help patients who were in pain get a good nights sleep. But he also prescribed them to be taken as often as four times a day, starting at 7 or 8am, so again, his argument falls apart pretty instantaneously.)
Add in Soma, a muscle relaxer, and you've got Volkman's signature dangerous (and lucrative) cocktail. All of these medications can cause sedation and respiratory depression. So it's no surprise that overdose deaths in Scioto County skyrocketed and Volkman's practice was soon the center of a criminal investigation.
At the time charges were filed, Volkman was still determined to be the victim in this case. These patient deaths weren't attributable to him, his prescriptions were all legitimate, the pills weren't the reason his patients died. And if they were, well that wasn't his fault either. He actually goes as far to suggest that all of these people were in poor health anyway and exaggerated their suicide risk. This man actually said;
"Pain doctors are essentially hospice doctors, and to blame a hospice doctor for the death of his patients is ridiculous." - Paul Volkman, saying more dumb shit.
The mental gymnastics of this narcissist are truly something else. He is an expert at being condescending and mean towards anyone who opposes him or who he considers beneath him. He called the judge on his case a 'heinous criminal.' He referred to his lawyer as a moron and wished he could choke his parole officer.
He also compared the criminal case he was facing to the persecution and atrocities committed by Nazi Germany....seriously, what the actual fuck?
"I have not really met anybody I could not keep up with and interact with as an equal." - Paul Volkman, yet again demonstrating a staggering level of ego-centrism.
I have to give props to our author here; not just for having to deal with Volkman, though there is that. I applaud his diligence in researching this case and fighting through red tape and trial transcripts. And I applaud his sensitivity in writing about the patients who died while under Volkman's care and the families who suffered. He wrote about them as people who struggled with injuries and addictions, who also loved their families and found joy in hobbies, as dimensional people. He never just slapped them with "overdose victim" or "addict." He made sure we could see the people behind the pills.
Despite multiple baseless appeals, Paul Volkman is behind bars today, serving four consecutive life sentences. In many ways, the opioid epidemic he helped bolster is still going strong today. Unscrupulous pain clinics and reckless over-prescribing have been cracked down on, but healing patients, families, and entire communities is slow work, especially with the ripple effects of the stones thrown by Volkman and others like him.
If you've somehow read to the end of this long ass review, congratulations! If you'd like an additional reading assignment, Philip Eil spoke with A&E True Crime about his research and this book. Read it HERE.
Thanks to Steelforth & Edelweiss for the digital review copy.
And this was well worth finishing. Prescription for Pain is a meticulously crafted and well researched story of a man with more hubris than empathy, the lives that crumpled around him, and the messy legal journey that followed. Get ready for a LENGTHY one y'all.
"I have no regrets about my treatments and no apologies to make." - Paul Volkman, demonstrating one of the tenets of his personality.
Journalist Philip Eil dedicated over a decade to researching and writing this remarkable narrative. (former) Dr Paul Volkman's story strikes some familiar notes; it's yet another story of an unscrupulous doctor operating a pill mill with shockingly little care for the patients. This was significant on both personal and societal levels. His contributions to the nationwide opioid epidemic in the mid 2000s cannot be ignored. But the staggering numbers can't overshadow the hurt experienced by dozens of patients, families, and the small Ohio community where Volkman would set up shop.
Eil spends the early pages of the story going through the various details of Volkman's early life and setting up the necessary context- his education, family, and his, shall we say, rocky, early years as an MD.
Before Volkman's career swung towards pain management, he worked as a pediatric family practitioner, then a locum tenens emergency medicine doctor, floating to various hospitals for short term contracts. He would travel as far as 375 miles one way from his home in Chicago for these contracts. These years weren't smooth sailing for Volkman - he faced malpractice suits and professional sanctions, all of which he denied responsibility for.
Eil's writing does its best to approach the story from an even perspective. His years of communication with Volkman are shadowed by his 'erratic relationship with the truth," and his grandiose stories are taken with a healthy seasoning of salt. The honest facts of the case paint Volkman in an unflattering light, and despite his protestations that he's the victim in all this, it's Volkman who's responsible for every brushstroke.
"I formulated a plan of action almost instantly and was putting it into action by the time the nurse had taken the vital signs, and well before the clerk had typed up a chart." - Paul Volkman, mistaking speed for proper patient care.
It's Volkman's complete refusal of responsibility and guilt that irks me the most. He denied that any of his patients had "any type of ill effect" from these drugs and insisted that every one of his prescriptions was for a legitimate medical purpose.
Of course, basic scrutiny of his records proved this false. He claimed that he required medical records and drug testing, yet, on multiple occasions, when police sent in undercover patients wearing a wire, they were given staggering amounts of drugs after only the most cursory examination. One patient was given prescriptions totaling 720 tablets. He then instructed the patient to come back in just four days. Not for a follow up. For more pills.
Most local pharmacies pretty immediately refused to fill his dangerous prescriptions, which led to Volkman somehow getting even shadier and opening his own in-house pharmacy. In fact, 98% of appointments ended with the patient being prescribed at least one narcotic. In 2004, Volkman was the single largest purchaser of oxycodone in the US. In the ENTIRE UNITED STATES.
For a town of roughly 78,000. Excessive seems too small a word for it.
It wasn't just narcotics. On occasion, he would prescribe a blood pressure med or an asthma inhaler. But the scripts were chiefly made up of staggering amounts of one or two short acting narcotic painkillers, a benzodiazepine for anxiety / sleep (he insisted that the Xanax prescriptions were to help patients who were in pain get a good nights sleep. But he also prescribed them to be taken as often as four times a day, starting at 7 or 8am, so again, his argument falls apart pretty instantaneously.)
Add in Soma, a muscle relaxer, and you've got Volkman's signature dangerous (and lucrative) cocktail. All of these medications can cause sedation and respiratory depression. So it's no surprise that overdose deaths in Scioto County skyrocketed and Volkman's practice was soon the center of a criminal investigation.
At the time charges were filed, Volkman was still determined to be the victim in this case. These patient deaths weren't attributable to him, his prescriptions were all legitimate, the pills weren't the reason his patients died. And if they were, well that wasn't his fault either. He actually goes as far to suggest that all of these people were in poor health anyway and exaggerated their suicide risk. This man actually said;
"Pain doctors are essentially hospice doctors, and to blame a hospice doctor for the death of his patients is ridiculous." - Paul Volkman, saying more dumb shit.
The mental gymnastics of this narcissist are truly something else. He is an expert at being condescending and mean towards anyone who opposes him or who he considers beneath him. He called the judge on his case a 'heinous criminal.' He referred to his lawyer as a moron and wished he could choke his parole officer.
He also compared the criminal case he was facing to the persecution and atrocities committed by Nazi Germany....seriously, what the actual fuck?
"I have not really met anybody I could not keep up with and interact with as an equal." - Paul Volkman, yet again demonstrating a staggering level of ego-centrism.
I have to give props to our author here; not just for having to deal with Volkman, though there is that. I applaud his diligence in researching this case and fighting through red tape and trial transcripts. And I applaud his sensitivity in writing about the patients who died while under Volkman's care and the families who suffered. He wrote about them as people who struggled with injuries and addictions, who also loved their families and found joy in hobbies, as dimensional people. He never just slapped them with "overdose victim" or "addict." He made sure we could see the people behind the pills.
Despite multiple baseless appeals, Paul Volkman is behind bars today, serving four consecutive life sentences. In many ways, the opioid epidemic he helped bolster is still going strong today. Unscrupulous pain clinics and reckless over-prescribing have been cracked down on, but healing patients, families, and entire communities is slow work, especially with the ripple effects of the stones thrown by Volkman and others like him.
If you've somehow read to the end of this long ass review, congratulations! If you'd like an additional reading assignment, Philip Eil spoke with A&E True Crime about his research and this book. Read it HERE.
Thanks to Steelforth & Edelweiss for the digital review copy.
November 16, 2024
Well researched and intimate look at Volkman’s career leading up to, during, and after his years as a pill mill doctor in southern Ohio. The inside workings of his clinics and his prescribing practices were mind blowing to read about, and the lasting impact it had on that region are devastating. It’s lengthy, but a worthy read for any true crime aficionados.
May 5, 2025
This was a truly gripping and astonishing account of Paul Volkman's evolution from a pediatrician in the Chicago area to a proprietor of a pain clinic in southern Indiana. Philip Eil's "research into the entirety of Volkman’s life" left no stone unturned and includes thorough information of all the people that were involved: family members, co-workers, patients, and their stories. I found it truly riveting.
In 2007, Paul H Volkman, M.D., Ph.D. was arrested at his spacious apartment looking out over Lake Michigan on Lake Shore Drive. The federal indictment had been filed in Cincinnati Ohio and “alleged that he was one of three players in a massive scheme to illegally distribute prescription drugs. Prosecutors said that his criminal activity had taken place over a span of nearly three years, from April 2003 to February 2006, in towns in the Appalachian foothills of southern Ohio.”
Eil describes the dissonance between how Volkman’s friends and family perceived him and his work and the work he was doing hundreds of miles away that would devastate people’s lives in Appalachia. Indeed, there was shock and disbelief at the charges against him.
“Prosecutors alleged that Volkman continued to prescribe medications despite obvious indicators that patients were addicted to the medications, reselling their pills, or both.” His two partners, Denise and Alice Huffman, a mother-daughter team, had no medical credentials at all. People died from overdoses of the drugs Volkman prescribed at the “cash-only pain clinic with armed guards and an on-site pharmacy.”
Volkman’s case stands out from many others due to the sheer volume of pills that he was prescribing. By his “own admission, many of his patients were being prescribed between six hundred and eight hundred pills per month.” Then, there is his eventual conviction and sentence of “four consecutive life terms in federal prison.” It is likely the longest sentence in the opiate epidemic in the United States.
In 2007, Paul H Volkman, M.D., Ph.D. was arrested at his spacious apartment looking out over Lake Michigan on Lake Shore Drive. The federal indictment had been filed in Cincinnati Ohio and “alleged that he was one of three players in a massive scheme to illegally distribute prescription drugs. Prosecutors said that his criminal activity had taken place over a span of nearly three years, from April 2003 to February 2006, in towns in the Appalachian foothills of southern Ohio.”
Eil describes the dissonance between how Volkman’s friends and family perceived him and his work and the work he was doing hundreds of miles away that would devastate people’s lives in Appalachia. Indeed, there was shock and disbelief at the charges against him.
“Prosecutors alleged that Volkman continued to prescribe medications despite obvious indicators that patients were addicted to the medications, reselling their pills, or both.” His two partners, Denise and Alice Huffman, a mother-daughter team, had no medical credentials at all. People died from overdoses of the drugs Volkman prescribed at the “cash-only pain clinic with armed guards and an on-site pharmacy.”
Volkman’s case stands out from many others due to the sheer volume of pills that he was prescribing. By his “own admission, many of his patients were being prescribed between six hundred and eight hundred pills per month.” Then, there is his eventual conviction and sentence of “four consecutive life terms in federal prison.” It is likely the longest sentence in the opiate epidemic in the United States.
April 12, 2024
I’m fascinated by the opium crisis in the us because for me working in a pharmacy in the Netherlands I just can’t imagine it would get that bad. Here it’s not always perfectly regulated but the complete lack in this case amazes me. You can see it just get bad. And this is just one example of it getting out of hand but I imagine there are more and even more sad examples
February 13, 2024
Prescription For Pain
3 stars
This is a very intensely researched and an exceedingly thorough look at this Dr. Paul Volkman and his pill mill, the horror of his practice and the lives he ruined.
My main reason for not rating this book higher is the author gets very, very bogged in the details, making for at times an extremely tedious read. This book could have easily been 100 pages shorter, which would have made it a far easier read. The author just included far too many extraneous details, which made for a tedious read. I understand why the author included much of it, but I feel as if the author could have tidied and edited the information better.
Prescription For Pain is an extremely informative and important book regarding the start of the opioid epidemic and one of the doctors responsible for it.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and Netgalley.
3 stars
This is a very intensely researched and an exceedingly thorough look at this Dr. Paul Volkman and his pill mill, the horror of his practice and the lives he ruined.
My main reason for not rating this book higher is the author gets very, very bogged in the details, making for at times an extremely tedious read. This book could have easily been 100 pages shorter, which would have made it a far easier read. The author just included far too many extraneous details, which made for a tedious read. I understand why the author included much of it, but I feel as if the author could have tidied and edited the information better.
Prescription For Pain is an extremely informative and important book regarding the start of the opioid epidemic and one of the doctors responsible for it.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and Netgalley.
August 5, 2024
Maybe I’ve just read too many books about this subject – but I found this monotonous, not well edited and way too long for the topic we went over the same subject matters over and over again – please get a new editor for the next book. I read this in 2.5 Many redundancies so a major skip through lots of stuff - volkman is clearly a narcissistic sociopath - not sure what else can be said
September 27, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A Masterclass in Investigative Journalism and Empathy
Philip Eil’s Prescription for Pain is a searing, meticulously researched deep dive into one of the most disturbing chapters of the opioid epidemic. With the precision of a surgeon and the heart of a poet, Eil unpacks the rise and ruin of Dr. Paul Volkman—a once-promising pediatrician turned “Pill Mill Killer”—whose unchecked greed and delusions of grandeur devastated rural Ohio A.
What sets this book apart isn’t just the gripping narrative or the staggering scope of Eil’s decade-long reporting odyssey. It’s the ethical rigor. Eil refuses to flatten Volkman into a caricature of evil, instead allowing readers to witness the contradictions and complexities that fueled his descent. The result is a portrait that’s damning, yes—but also deeply human B.
Eil’s writing is crisp, immersive, and unflinching. He centers the victims with care, devoting space to their stories and honoring their lives beyond the headlines. The afterword, a tribute to the 13 people who died under Volkman’s care, is a gut punch of quiet reverence A.
If you appreciated Dopesick, Empire of Pain, or Dreamland, this belongs on your shelf. It’s not just true crime—it’s truth with consequences. A profound achievement.
A Masterclass in Investigative Journalism and Empathy
Philip Eil’s Prescription for Pain is a searing, meticulously researched deep dive into one of the most disturbing chapters of the opioid epidemic. With the precision of a surgeon and the heart of a poet, Eil unpacks the rise and ruin of Dr. Paul Volkman—a once-promising pediatrician turned “Pill Mill Killer”—whose unchecked greed and delusions of grandeur devastated rural Ohio A.
What sets this book apart isn’t just the gripping narrative or the staggering scope of Eil’s decade-long reporting odyssey. It’s the ethical rigor. Eil refuses to flatten Volkman into a caricature of evil, instead allowing readers to witness the contradictions and complexities that fueled his descent. The result is a portrait that’s damning, yes—but also deeply human B.
Eil’s writing is crisp, immersive, and unflinching. He centers the victims with care, devoting space to their stories and honoring their lives beyond the headlines. The afterword, a tribute to the 13 people who died under Volkman’s care, is a gut punch of quiet reverence A.
If you appreciated Dopesick, Empire of Pain, or Dreamland, this belongs on your shelf. It’s not just true crime—it’s truth with consequences. A profound achievement.
February 18, 2025
Tiene muy buena informaci��n este libro, pero el autor tiene delirios de self-insert. Dice mucho yo yo yo a pesar de que el único vínculo que tiene con el asesino es que su papá fue a la universidad con él y ni siquiera eran besties. En base a eso, decidió que me importa su vida, pero no. Un autor de no ficción debe ser un poco más invisible en mi opinión, me sacaba del contexto y me hizo brincarme capítulos (que rayos me importa cómo se conocieron sus papás? Dude, no eres parte de la historia por más que quieras!)
Y mucho del capítulo 5 es innecesario y alargar el libro nada más. Fuera de eso, qué canijo estaba ese doctor ...
Y mucho del capítulo 5 es innecesario y alargar el libro nada más. Fuera de eso, qué canijo estaba ese doctor ...
July 23, 2024
This book was a very detailed investigative report of one doctor who was involved in several “pill mills” along the Ohio/Kentucky border. The book told the story of Dr Paul Volkman beginning with his childhood. The author interviewed so many people over the 15+ years it took him to get the complete story. Only gave 4 stars because it was too long.
July 19, 2024
One of the most thoroughly investigated and honestly told accounts of the pain pill epidemic and a single doctor's contribution to it. As a young reporter, he got hooked on a story and couldn't let go--for 10 long years--until it became a full-length book. If Paul Volkman had not been a medical and graduate school classmate of his father's, it was a story and a trial that would never have been told. It is also a window into that rarest of journalists today: one who is scrupulously honest and transparent in his reporting. I kept thinking that somewhere in the decade it took him to research and write the book, that he would lose that rare quality, but he never did. When he doubts Volkman's motives or version of events, Eil clearly explains why and backs that up with facts and interviews of others. He takes nothing at face value. I'm not sure whether this type of ethical reporting can weather the sort of daily instant journalism we mostly consume today. This should be required reading in journalism and investigative reporting classes. You can read this book for the facts and fom your own opinion of Paul Volkman and others like him who fed the addiction crisis without any manipulation by the author. It is very readable as well. I know some of the participants in the criminal trial (a small part of the book) and found their portrayal to be fair and accurate.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 6, 2024
The story of Paul Volkman is truly absurd. Eil describes it perfectly when he wrote it was a “dark story, involving loss, grief, corruption, crime and failure”. The included memoriam at the end of the book was heartbreaking. What a well researched and written book!
April 19, 2024
Prescription for Pain by Philip Eli is another addition to the literature on the US Opioid crisis. Unlike other books which have focused on big Pharma or the DEA, this book investigates Pill Mills, and one specific pill mill in Ohio.
Dr. Paul Volkman lived in Chicago but commuted every week to Portsmouth, Ohio, a small town that had seen better days. When he arrived at his clinic, he already had a line of patients out of the door, not because he was the only doctor, but because he was the only doctor freely prescribing opioids. In some cases he subscribed over 600 pills a month for one patient!
One of the most intriguing parts of the story is the way that Dr. Paul Volkman managed to delude himself that every action he took was justified and logical. The human brain has an amazing way of working around ethical problems so that we (in our heads at least) are always in the right. Volkman never admitted to wrong doing and seemed to have an answer for any question he was asked.“ In the End Prescription for Pain was a story of self-deception, greed, and lack of compassion for others.
I recommend this book to anyone interested in the Opioid crisis. If you liked Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty, Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America, or Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup, you will probably like this book as well.
Rating: 4/5
Genre: Non-Fiction
Dr. Paul Volkman lived in Chicago but commuted every week to Portsmouth, Ohio, a small town that had seen better days. When he arrived at his clinic, he already had a line of patients out of the door, not because he was the only doctor, but because he was the only doctor freely prescribing opioids. In some cases he subscribed over 600 pills a month for one patient!
One of the most intriguing parts of the story is the way that Dr. Paul Volkman managed to delude himself that every action he took was justified and logical. The human brain has an amazing way of working around ethical problems so that we (in our heads at least) are always in the right. Volkman never admitted to wrong doing and seemed to have an answer for any question he was asked.“ In the End Prescription for Pain was a story of self-deception, greed, and lack of compassion for others.
I recommend this book to anyone interested in the Opioid crisis. If you liked Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty, Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America, or Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup, you will probably like this book as well.
Rating: 4/5
Genre: Non-Fiction
August 19, 2024
This book is so important. I may be biased because I have an intimate connection to the story. My mother is from Lucasville a town a few miles from Portsmouth where this book is set and where most of Paul Volkman’s crimes took place. Though my mother moved to Virginia where we now live, I visit family in Portsmouth and the region to this day. I have also witnessed firsthand hand the effects of the opioid epidemic on this small rural community and the redemptive moves the people are trying to make in response.
January 24, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC. This novel tells the story of Mr. Volkman and his pain clinics which left a trail of victims and suffering. Although nonfiction, the story of Paul Volkman sometimes read like fiction. It is truly shocking what he was able to get away with for so long.
January 29, 2025
An interesting look at one doctor who ran a pill mill in Appalachia, contributing to the opioid crisis. Probably don’t recommend reading this one in January.
May 9, 2025
Listened to audiobook. Well researched book but I feel like it was slightly too long. I also didn’t love the way the chapters were organized - jumped a bit back and forth and also felt repetitive at times
July 3, 2024
True Crime Stories take 1 of 2 routes - exhilarating and exciting to read or bone dry with just a pile of facts.
This one was the latter, far longer than it needed to be and just painful to get thru.
This one was the latter, far longer than it needed to be and just painful to get thru.
October 5, 2024
A very detailed picture of the scourge a pill mill leaves on a community. Thoroughly researched and documented. The trial and sentencing portions were especially impactful. As a retired FBI Agent and now private investigator who has investigated similar cases in the area, Eil didn't miss out on any descriptions. Thank you, Philip, for your painstaking work.
January 8, 2025
This was outstanding. The author really dug deep to lay out the story of a monster who portrayed himself as a doctor( he was a doctor but was really a murderer in my opinion) . The chapters were titled for the people or places or topics that were discussed, which I liked because I often wanted to go back and hear a person’s story again. The shock and disbelief I felt listening to this book was just unbelievable.
September 25, 2024
A thoughtful, well-written book with a huge amount of empathy shown to the victims. Highly recommend. Can't wait to read more from Philip Eil!
April 29, 2024
Real Rating: 4.5* of five
The Publisher Says: An obsessive true crime investigation of a bizarre and unlikely perpetrator, who’s serving the opioid epidemic’s longest term for illegal prescriptions — four life sentences
Written in the tradition of I'll Be Gone in the Dark and True Crime Addict, combining Dopesick's heart rending portrayal of the epidemic's victims with Empire of Pain's examination of its perpetrators.
This haunting and propulsive debut follows a journalist’s years-long investigation into his father's old former high school valedictorian Paul Volkman, who once seemed destined for greatness after earning his MD and his PhD from the prestigious University of Chicago, but is now serving four consecutive life sentences at a federal prison in Arizona.
Volkman was the central figure in a massive “pill mill” scheme in southern Ohio. His pain clinics accepted only cash, employed armed guards, and dispensed a torrent of opioid painkillers and other controlled substances. For nearly three years, Volkman remained in business despite raids by law enforcement and complaints from patients’ family members. Prosecutors would ultimately link him to the overdose deaths of 13 patients, though investigators explored his ties to at least 20 other deaths.
This groundbreaking book is based on 12 years of correspondence and interviews with Volkman. Eil also traveled to 19 states, interviewed more than 150 people, and filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the Drug Enforcement Administration that led to the release of nearly 20,000 pages of trial evidence.
The American opioid epidemic is, like this book, a true crime story. Through this one doctor’s story, an era of unfathomable tragedy is brought down to a tangible, and devastating, human scale.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.
My Review: Greed, selfishness, and vanity are unholy siblings in this unnerving true-crime book.
The fact that I am treated for a very painful chronic condition, gratefully enough not by a pill-mill doctor!, meant I very much had a dog in this fight. Doctors who prescribe regular doses of strong pain meds are subject to a lot of scrutiny. After reading this horror story, I understand why.
I have a really hard time thinking about the kind of sociopathic ideation that goes into knowingly ruining people's lives on an industrial scale. A person with medical-school training who prescribes the cocktail of opioids, depressants, relaxants, that this man fed patients is well aware that the probability of disaster is very high. Anyone on these drugs, still less all these drugs in a cocktail, needs to be under close medical scrutiny. I'll mention here that, unlike many of the patients in this story, I am physically seen and extensively interacted with by my doctor every time I renew my pain medication. He interacts with me on multiple levels, conversationally determining if I am more or less impaired each visit; checking all vital signs, quizzing me on what I am doing with my medications; in short testing my level of cognitive ability to manage the use of all my meds. It makes my visits longer than most people's visits but that is what I need so it's what he does.
None of that happened for the pain patients caught in this doctor's pill mills.
When people seek pain relief, as a result of this doctor's and the many doctors like him prescribing pain drugs solely for their earning capacity, they often do not get it. People who need it are denied it because the possibility of abuse is so very present in our cultural consciousness due to the horrible, greedy, often fatal and always destructive issues caused by doctors turned drug entrepreneurs.
I wanted to read this book because I thought I'd read some overzealous puritan's exaggerated rage-filled hatchet job on a particular bad doctor. I assumed I'd come out of it like I did from Dopesick, thinking that I wanted a less judgmental and overemotional tone that would help me see the problem with greater clarity but not expecting to find it. This is, after all, the time of who shouts loudest sells best and controls the conversation...however briefly.
That made my surprise on finding exactly what I had hoped to find all the sharper. Eil's journalistic approach is to do the research and present the evidence, then go into an analysis of it that includes consulting with experts as well as speaking with the affected people. The emotional and judgmental stance I was expecting and dreading was vitiated by the careful framing of it inside contexts of the times and places, and most importantly people, involved.
Perhaps the most important context was that of the doctor himself. Only he knows why he did what he did. The people consulted by Eil give us the impression he left on those who knew him personally and professionally. That left me, as a reader who never met him, with the impression that psychological screening should be mandatory for anyone seeking a medical degree. It would help to identify narcissists and get them, as a condition of their future licensing, into counseling. It could also keep sociopaths out of the field entirely because, unlike narcissists, they lack empathy entirely instead of misplacing it in relationships, and can not be trusted to give actual help to patients in their uncaring care.
The entire grim saga of the pain mills run by this doctor, and yes I am not using his name because it is a bad idea to spend time in this hyperconnected era saying unkind things about narcissists in public, is one of societal subversion, too. The expectation that consumers of medical services have of their use is that a licensed professional will be trustworthy because the issuers of the license have done their research into the person and deem them credible and qualified. The system in his area let the people it's meant to serve down in pursuit of money. A hypercapitalist system is not going to result in good care for the ill and the needy. This book never smacks the reader with this conclusion; it presents a case that, unless one is dimwittwed or a sociopath, this is the only conclusion one can draw.
That's all I feel I need to say about that. That is, in fact, all I really want you to know that I got from the read. Was it fun? No it was not. Did I enjoy it? Not in any healthy way. My hope is that you will read this terrible tragic tale of dishonesty, greed, and cruelty, not because I dislike you but because I want you to be extremely alert to the real dangers of casually accepting "doctor knows best."
The Publisher Says: An obsessive true crime investigation of a bizarre and unlikely perpetrator, who’s serving the opioid epidemic’s longest term for illegal prescriptions — four life sentences
Written in the tradition of I'll Be Gone in the Dark and True Crime Addict, combining Dopesick's heart rending portrayal of the epidemic's victims with Empire of Pain's examination of its perpetrators.
This haunting and propulsive debut follows a journalist’s years-long investigation into his father's old former high school valedictorian Paul Volkman, who once seemed destined for greatness after earning his MD and his PhD from the prestigious University of Chicago, but is now serving four consecutive life sentences at a federal prison in Arizona.
Volkman was the central figure in a massive “pill mill” scheme in southern Ohio. His pain clinics accepted only cash, employed armed guards, and dispensed a torrent of opioid painkillers and other controlled substances. For nearly three years, Volkman remained in business despite raids by law enforcement and complaints from patients’ family members. Prosecutors would ultimately link him to the overdose deaths of 13 patients, though investigators explored his ties to at least 20 other deaths.
This groundbreaking book is based on 12 years of correspondence and interviews with Volkman. Eil also traveled to 19 states, interviewed more than 150 people, and filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the Drug Enforcement Administration that led to the release of nearly 20,000 pages of trial evidence.
The American opioid epidemic is, like this book, a true crime story. Through this one doctor’s story, an era of unfathomable tragedy is brought down to a tangible, and devastating, human scale.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.
My Review: Greed, selfishness, and vanity are unholy siblings in this unnerving true-crime book.
The fact that I am treated for a very painful chronic condition, gratefully enough not by a pill-mill doctor!, meant I very much had a dog in this fight. Doctors who prescribe regular doses of strong pain meds are subject to a lot of scrutiny. After reading this horror story, I understand why.
I have a really hard time thinking about the kind of sociopathic ideation that goes into knowingly ruining people's lives on an industrial scale. A person with medical-school training who prescribes the cocktail of opioids, depressants, relaxants, that this man fed patients is well aware that the probability of disaster is very high. Anyone on these drugs, still less all these drugs in a cocktail, needs to be under close medical scrutiny. I'll mention here that, unlike many of the patients in this story, I am physically seen and extensively interacted with by my doctor every time I renew my pain medication. He interacts with me on multiple levels, conversationally determining if I am more or less impaired each visit; checking all vital signs, quizzing me on what I am doing with my medications; in short testing my level of cognitive ability to manage the use of all my meds. It makes my visits longer than most people's visits but that is what I need so it's what he does.
None of that happened for the pain patients caught in this doctor's pill mills.
When people seek pain relief, as a result of this doctor's and the many doctors like him prescribing pain drugs solely for their earning capacity, they often do not get it. People who need it are denied it because the possibility of abuse is so very present in our cultural consciousness due to the horrible, greedy, often fatal and always destructive issues caused by doctors turned drug entrepreneurs.
I wanted to read this book because I thought I'd read some overzealous puritan's exaggerated rage-filled hatchet job on a particular bad doctor. I assumed I'd come out of it like I did from Dopesick, thinking that I wanted a less judgmental and overemotional tone that would help me see the problem with greater clarity but not expecting to find it. This is, after all, the time of who shouts loudest sells best and controls the conversation...however briefly.
That made my surprise on finding exactly what I had hoped to find all the sharper. Eil's journalistic approach is to do the research and present the evidence, then go into an analysis of it that includes consulting with experts as well as speaking with the affected people. The emotional and judgmental stance I was expecting and dreading was vitiated by the careful framing of it inside contexts of the times and places, and most importantly people, involved.
Perhaps the most important context was that of the doctor himself. Only he knows why he did what he did. The people consulted by Eil give us the impression he left on those who knew him personally and professionally. That left me, as a reader who never met him, with the impression that psychological screening should be mandatory for anyone seeking a medical degree. It would help to identify narcissists and get them, as a condition of their future licensing, into counseling. It could also keep sociopaths out of the field entirely because, unlike narcissists, they lack empathy entirely instead of misplacing it in relationships, and can not be trusted to give actual help to patients in their uncaring care.
The entire grim saga of the pain mills run by this doctor, and yes I am not using his name because it is a bad idea to spend time in this hyperconnected era saying unkind things about narcissists in public, is one of societal subversion, too. The expectation that consumers of medical services have of their use is that a licensed professional will be trustworthy because the issuers of the license have done their research into the person and deem them credible and qualified. The system in his area let the people it's meant to serve down in pursuit of money. A hypercapitalist system is not going to result in good care for the ill and the needy. This book never smacks the reader with this conclusion; it presents a case that, unless one is dimwittwed or a sociopath, this is the only conclusion one can draw.
That's all I feel I need to say about that. That is, in fact, all I really want you to know that I got from the read. Was it fun? No it was not. Did I enjoy it? Not in any healthy way. My hope is that you will read this terrible tragic tale of dishonesty, greed, and cruelty, not because I dislike you but because I want you to be extremely alert to the real dangers of casually accepting "doctor knows best."
May 30, 2024
A valuable addition to the growing genre of "opioid pandemic literature". Whereas authors like Sam Quinones have provided a broad, high-level and exhaustive view of this public health problem, this book takes a more narrow-but-deep approach by focusing on the professional (and criminal) trajectory of one particular doctor, Paul Volkman (currently incarcerated and likely to remain so).
The author became interested in this story more than a decade ago when, as budding journalist, he was flabbergasted to hear that one of his father's med school colleagues had been involved in a pill mill. So the initial connection was personal - the contrast between the author's father, a respected, even slightly nerdy endocrinologist, and the man who would become one of the nation's most prolific prescribers of opioids. How did this happen? How could this happen?
The author did a meticulous, even obsessive, job of documenting Paul Volkman's life and career, and includes part of their long correspondence. I read the book with horrified fascination. From a prestigious MD/PhD program at the University of Chicago to a storefront pain clinic -this is a story of professional and moral disintegration. A research job that didn't pan out. A pediatric practice that had to be abandoned due to loss of malpractice insurance (after several malpractice cases). A "career" as a locum tenens in ERs spread over a wide geographic area. And finally, joining a "pain clinic" that handed out prescriptions for painkillers and muscle relaxants like candy. With a truly bizarre episode where he tried to open his own clinic from his rented apartment, complete with armed body guard!
What struck me most is that this is not so much a story of greed as of professional hubris. Yes, Paul Volkman wanted to maintain the lifestyle he felt he was entitled to, including an apartment in an expensive part of Chicago. But I think it went deeper than that: this is about someone who thinks he knows better than others and stubbornly goes his own way, against the rules of his profession. And this leads to devastating consequences along the way. The malpractice cases testify to that, as does the strange fixed-dose opioid regimen that he devised (and which seems to have led directly to fatal overdoses). All of this screams "I am a triple-boarded MD with a PhD in pharmacology, so I know what I'm doing". There are few people more dangerous than a smart person lacking humility!
My eyes boggled as I read about the daily life at a pill mill: patients hanging around for hours, then putting their cash down for a 10-minute appointment and walking out with a prescription for 100s of pills, or even with the pills in-hand (in the case of an on-site dispensary). Addicts taking or selling the pills right there, in the parking lot. Guns and armed bodyguards. Falsified paperwork and clinic owners gambling away their illegal proceeds.
Equally interesting was the pharmacy side of the story: several responsible pharmacists refused to fill Paul Volkman's prescriptions, whereas another pharmacist cheerfully went along with the unprecedented flood of high-dose, high-volume prescriptions, even to the point of keeping extra pharmacy hours to accommodate Volkman's patients who had to drive 90 minutes to get to his pharmacy.
A sad story all around, and one wonders whether the pendulum for pain treatment has swung back towards under-treatment.
The author became interested in this story more than a decade ago when, as budding journalist, he was flabbergasted to hear that one of his father's med school colleagues had been involved in a pill mill. So the initial connection was personal - the contrast between the author's father, a respected, even slightly nerdy endocrinologist, and the man who would become one of the nation's most prolific prescribers of opioids. How did this happen? How could this happen?
The author did a meticulous, even obsessive, job of documenting Paul Volkman's life and career, and includes part of their long correspondence. I read the book with horrified fascination. From a prestigious MD/PhD program at the University of Chicago to a storefront pain clinic -this is a story of professional and moral disintegration. A research job that didn't pan out. A pediatric practice that had to be abandoned due to loss of malpractice insurance (after several malpractice cases). A "career" as a locum tenens in ERs spread over a wide geographic area. And finally, joining a "pain clinic" that handed out prescriptions for painkillers and muscle relaxants like candy. With a truly bizarre episode where he tried to open his own clinic from his rented apartment, complete with armed body guard!
What struck me most is that this is not so much a story of greed as of professional hubris. Yes, Paul Volkman wanted to maintain the lifestyle he felt he was entitled to, including an apartment in an expensive part of Chicago. But I think it went deeper than that: this is about someone who thinks he knows better than others and stubbornly goes his own way, against the rules of his profession. And this leads to devastating consequences along the way. The malpractice cases testify to that, as does the strange fixed-dose opioid regimen that he devised (and which seems to have led directly to fatal overdoses). All of this screams "I am a triple-boarded MD with a PhD in pharmacology, so I know what I'm doing". There are few people more dangerous than a smart person lacking humility!
My eyes boggled as I read about the daily life at a pill mill: patients hanging around for hours, then putting their cash down for a 10-minute appointment and walking out with a prescription for 100s of pills, or even with the pills in-hand (in the case of an on-site dispensary). Addicts taking or selling the pills right there, in the parking lot. Guns and armed bodyguards. Falsified paperwork and clinic owners gambling away their illegal proceeds.
Equally interesting was the pharmacy side of the story: several responsible pharmacists refused to fill Paul Volkman's prescriptions, whereas another pharmacist cheerfully went along with the unprecedented flood of high-dose, high-volume prescriptions, even to the point of keeping extra pharmacy hours to accommodate Volkman's patients who had to drive 90 minutes to get to his pharmacy.
A sad story all around, and one wonders whether the pendulum for pain treatment has swung back towards under-treatment.
January 22, 2024
I recently had the privilege of gaining early access to "Prescription for Pain: How a Once-Promising Doctor Became the 'Pill Mill Killer'" by Philip Eil through NetGalley, and I must say, it proved to be an enthralling and thought-provoking experience.
Eil's narrative prowess is evident throughout this true-crime gem, taking readers on an emotional rollercoaster as we follow the captivating story of a once-promising doctor's descent into darkness and the subsequent pursuit of justice. The storytelling is both poignant and riveting, making it nearly impossible to put the book down.
One of the most commendable aspects of Eil's work is his ability to humanize the central characters, offering readers a nuanced understanding of the complex circumstances that led to the doctor's fall from grace. Through meticulous research and empathetic storytelling, Eil effortlessly captures the multifaceted nature of the human experience, leaving readers with a profound sense of empathy even for those who have committed unimaginable wrongs.
The exploration of the opioid crisis is handled with sensitivity and depth, shedding light on the devastating consequences of unchecked prescription practices. Eil doesn't shy away from the harsh realities of the epidemic, making this book not only a gripping crime narrative but also a poignant commentary on a pressing societal issue.
The pacing of the book is masterfully done, with each chapter unfolding like a piece of a puzzle that gradually reveals the bigger picture. Eil's ability to maintain suspense while simultaneously providing insightful commentary on the legal and ethical dimensions of the case is truly commendable.
As a reader, I found myself not only engrossed in the thrilling narrative but also contemplating the broader implications of the story. "Prescription for Pain" invites reflection on the healthcare system, the responsibilities of medical professionals, and the importance of accountability in the face of a public health crisis.
In conclusion, Philip Eil has crafted a compelling and socially relevant narrative that transcends the true-crime genre. "Prescription for Pain" is a testament to the power of storytelling to educate, entertain, and inspire change. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone seeking a deeply engaging read that leaves a lasting impact.
Eil's narrative prowess is evident throughout this true-crime gem, taking readers on an emotional rollercoaster as we follow the captivating story of a once-promising doctor's descent into darkness and the subsequent pursuit of justice. The storytelling is both poignant and riveting, making it nearly impossible to put the book down.
One of the most commendable aspects of Eil's work is his ability to humanize the central characters, offering readers a nuanced understanding of the complex circumstances that led to the doctor's fall from grace. Through meticulous research and empathetic storytelling, Eil effortlessly captures the multifaceted nature of the human experience, leaving readers with a profound sense of empathy even for those who have committed unimaginable wrongs.
The exploration of the opioid crisis is handled with sensitivity and depth, shedding light on the devastating consequences of unchecked prescription practices. Eil doesn't shy away from the harsh realities of the epidemic, making this book not only a gripping crime narrative but also a poignant commentary on a pressing societal issue.
The pacing of the book is masterfully done, with each chapter unfolding like a piece of a puzzle that gradually reveals the bigger picture. Eil's ability to maintain suspense while simultaneously providing insightful commentary on the legal and ethical dimensions of the case is truly commendable.
As a reader, I found myself not only engrossed in the thrilling narrative but also contemplating the broader implications of the story. "Prescription for Pain" invites reflection on the healthcare system, the responsibilities of medical professionals, and the importance of accountability in the face of a public health crisis.
In conclusion, Philip Eil has crafted a compelling and socially relevant narrative that transcends the true-crime genre. "Prescription for Pain" is a testament to the power of storytelling to educate, entertain, and inspire change. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone seeking a deeply engaging read that leaves a lasting impact.
February 27, 2024
Prescription for Pain by journalist Philip Eil is the incredible and disturbing true story of "pill mills" and their contribution to the opioid epidemic in the United States, specifically those run by Paul Volkman as pain clinics in Ohio.
The author spent years fastidiously researching and investigating this story to which he has a connection as his father knew Volkman in medical school. Volkman discovered pediatrics wasn't as lucrative as pharmacology and decided to take a risky path as narcissists often do.
Eil's findings are astonishing. He includes many statistics and facts and is careful to say some information is based on human memories which is not infallible. But the crux remains true.
Now in his 70s, Volkman is in prison serving four life sentences for his many crimes involving drugs. When speaking with the author he maintains he was trying to help those with pain have access to medications which actually worked. As a chronic pain sufferer myself, the quantities, doses and drug combinations he prescribed are beyond appalling. He prescribed hundreds and hundreds of pills to his patients each month, the highest opioid prescriber at the time. As very few pharmacists would place themselves in an illegal position, Volkman even opened up his own pharmacy. People would drive great distances to see him (or not) and get their drugs. The situation was so dangerous that armed guards were present. Payment was cash only. So many red flags!
Not only did patients quickly become addicted (many sold their medications even to their own children to make money for their next re-stock) but sicker and several died shortly after seeing Volkman. A few also suffered from medical procedural errors made by Volkman but lawsuits didn't stick. Volkman had one goal. Money can be a powerful motivator. He prescribed 75% of his patients the same alarming cocktail and many family members would find their loved ones dead. Such preventable tragedy. Yet Volkman justified his actions.
Perspectives of Volkman's family members, especially his daughter, give great insight.
This book is equal parts fascinating and frightening. Though quite long and detailed, it is a must for those intrigued by the topic.
My sincere thank you to Steerforth Press and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this engrossing book.
The author spent years fastidiously researching and investigating this story to which he has a connection as his father knew Volkman in medical school. Volkman discovered pediatrics wasn't as lucrative as pharmacology and decided to take a risky path as narcissists often do.
Eil's findings are astonishing. He includes many statistics and facts and is careful to say some information is based on human memories which is not infallible. But the crux remains true.
Now in his 70s, Volkman is in prison serving four life sentences for his many crimes involving drugs. When speaking with the author he maintains he was trying to help those with pain have access to medications which actually worked. As a chronic pain sufferer myself, the quantities, doses and drug combinations he prescribed are beyond appalling. He prescribed hundreds and hundreds of pills to his patients each month, the highest opioid prescriber at the time. As very few pharmacists would place themselves in an illegal position, Volkman even opened up his own pharmacy. People would drive great distances to see him (or not) and get their drugs. The situation was so dangerous that armed guards were present. Payment was cash only. So many red flags!
Not only did patients quickly become addicted (many sold their medications even to their own children to make money for their next re-stock) but sicker and several died shortly after seeing Volkman. A few also suffered from medical procedural errors made by Volkman but lawsuits didn't stick. Volkman had one goal. Money can be a powerful motivator. He prescribed 75% of his patients the same alarming cocktail and many family members would find their loved ones dead. Such preventable tragedy. Yet Volkman justified his actions.
Perspectives of Volkman's family members, especially his daughter, give great insight.
This book is equal parts fascinating and frightening. Though quite long and detailed, it is a must for those intrigued by the topic.
My sincere thank you to Steerforth Press and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this engrossing book.
December 31, 2023
Full disclosure: Dr. Volkman was my pediatrician in the late 80s/90s, and he employed my mother in his pediatric office during that time. She is quoted in part one. I always had an indifferent-to-positive opinion of Dr. V — he treated my asthma and signed my mom’s paychecks. I spent a lot of time at the office while my mom was working and the Dr was away (“working at the hospital” — after reading, now I assume off on locum tenens jobs). I requested an ARC from the author and am basing this review on the galley copy I received in August 2023. I plan to re-read on my Kindle when it is released so I can share all of my notes and highlights.
Review: This story is absolutely bonkers. Just mind boggling. I truly don’t understand how someone can get busted, raided, then set up shop at another location again within days…and do that multiple times? Then I truly don’t understand how that person…is Dr. Volkman??? Who would have thought? It still doesn’t make sense. So many times while reading, all I could think was “How is this real?” But it is. And I’m still a bit in shock over it all.
This book is incredibly well researched and well reported. I found some parts to be a bit repetitive, but that may have just been from my own familiarity with the story. I especially liked the notes at the end where the author details all of his sources and the process of how he went about interviewing and reporting for the book.
With a personal link to this story, I definitely hoped to feel some kind of closure. I’m not sure if I feel that because there’s just no explanation for any of it, besides greed, I guess. So I’ll never understand the “why,” or even the “how” of how Dr. V turned into “the pill mill killer,” but this book helped me to grasp who was affected and what really happened.
As a mid-30s new-mother, I felt a lot more connected to the victims after reading their stories and realizing how young they all were, lots with young children. It's tragic what Dr. V perpetuated, and it's disturbing how little remorse he has (none!).
This book is very detailed, interesting, factual, and well-rounded. It’s hard to have any sympathy for my old doctor after really digging into this, but now I feel like I know the “full” story of what happened.
Review: This story is absolutely bonkers. Just mind boggling. I truly don’t understand how someone can get busted, raided, then set up shop at another location again within days…and do that multiple times? Then I truly don’t understand how that person…is Dr. Volkman??? Who would have thought? It still doesn’t make sense. So many times while reading, all I could think was “How is this real?” But it is. And I’m still a bit in shock over it all.
This book is incredibly well researched and well reported. I found some parts to be a bit repetitive, but that may have just been from my own familiarity with the story. I especially liked the notes at the end where the author details all of his sources and the process of how he went about interviewing and reporting for the book.
With a personal link to this story, I definitely hoped to feel some kind of closure. I’m not sure if I feel that because there’s just no explanation for any of it, besides greed, I guess. So I’ll never understand the “why,” or even the “how” of how Dr. V turned into “the pill mill killer,” but this book helped me to grasp who was affected and what really happened.
As a mid-30s new-mother, I felt a lot more connected to the victims after reading their stories and realizing how young they all were, lots with young children. It's tragic what Dr. V perpetuated, and it's disturbing how little remorse he has (none!).
This book is very detailed, interesting, factual, and well-rounded. It’s hard to have any sympathy for my old doctor after really digging into this, but now I feel like I know the “full” story of what happened.
March 30, 2024
It’s not easy being a doctor. Doctors have a lot riding on them, and being around sickness must be very taxing, both mentally and physically. I have nothing but respect for the profession.
That said, it also comes with a major responsibility to serve the populace. Noblesse oblige, I guess?
Prescription for pain is an investigative true crime book that delves into the case of John Volkman, a doctor and PhD serving 4 life sentences for prescribing deadly combinations of drugs to hundreds of patients, that resulted in the overdose related deaths of at least 13 people (official number).
What was sad was these patients were in their mid 30s and 50s, popping an average of 20 pills daily. A treacherous cocktail of Oxy, Xan*x, and other heavy pa*nkillers/ sedat*ves/ muscle relaxants.
On paper, Volkman was a brilliant man. He did prove to be careless, causing a string of lawsuits in his early practice as a pediatrician. In spite of this, he was allowed to continue working in the medical community. Somewhere down the line, this blew up.
The book takes a deep dive into the Opioid epidemic, especially in the tristate area of Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia, that forever altered the course of a generation. The backgrounds of of pain clinics is also explored, introducing us to the research of pain medicine, something that would prove to be a both profitable and deadly period in medical history. The book is heavily detailed, well researched and written. Eil asks the right questions to different people, trying his best to stay unbiased.
The manufacturers made the pills.
The doctors prescribed them.
The patients abus*d them.
This became a norm and medical associations and the DEA were unaware until they got tipped off. It took a series of deaths and patterns to connect them before the government was able to act on it. Not before it affected hundreds, maybe thousands of lives.
Who would you blame?
Only read this if you have the stomach and patience for it.
That said, it also comes with a major responsibility to serve the populace. Noblesse oblige, I guess?
Prescription for pain is an investigative true crime book that delves into the case of John Volkman, a doctor and PhD serving 4 life sentences for prescribing deadly combinations of drugs to hundreds of patients, that resulted in the overdose related deaths of at least 13 people (official number).
What was sad was these patients were in their mid 30s and 50s, popping an average of 20 pills daily. A treacherous cocktail of Oxy, Xan*x, and other heavy pa*nkillers/ sedat*ves/ muscle relaxants.
On paper, Volkman was a brilliant man. He did prove to be careless, causing a string of lawsuits in his early practice as a pediatrician. In spite of this, he was allowed to continue working in the medical community. Somewhere down the line, this blew up.
The book takes a deep dive into the Opioid epidemic, especially in the tristate area of Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia, that forever altered the course of a generation. The backgrounds of of pain clinics is also explored, introducing us to the research of pain medicine, something that would prove to be a both profitable and deadly period in medical history. The book is heavily detailed, well researched and written. Eil asks the right questions to different people, trying his best to stay unbiased.
The manufacturers made the pills.
The doctors prescribed them.
The patients abus*d them.
This became a norm and medical associations and the DEA were unaware until they got tipped off. It took a series of deaths and patterns to connect them before the government was able to act on it. Not before it affected hundreds, maybe thousands of lives.
Who would you blame?
Only read this if you have the stomach and patience for it.
May 19, 2025
According to the Boston Globe, Prescription for Pain deserves to live alongside Dopesick and Empire of Pain, two books that stand out as some of the most exemplary reporting on different facets on America's opioid epidemic. Well, I don't disagree with the Boston Globe lightly, but Empire of Pain this is not.
In fact, a more apt comparison for Prescription for Pain would be Andrew Jarecki's HBO series The Jinx, as both Eil and Jarecki inject themselves into the story they are telling. This is not to bash The Jinx, or, by extension, bash Prescription for Pain. But there is a distinct difference between the neutral, exhaustive reporting of a story and the memoir-adjacent reflections on the author's own reporting of that story.
To be fair, Eil has done some topnotch research here. But the true subject of Prescription for Pain is not Volkman, or the opioid crisis, or even Volkman's patients. The true subject of Eil's reporting is Eil himself, as he shifts through his interest in (and tenuous connections to) Volkman's case. In many ways, this book reads like a memoir on how writers become interested in a topic. And Eil is FAR from the first person to turn a personal obsession into a critically acclaimed project. Much good writing comes from similar origins.
And what can be found in Prescription for Pain is, to be sure, fine prose coming from a dedication writer. I appreciate Eil's ending this book with an "In Memoriam" for the named patients of Volkman's that died, rather than allowing Volkman to have the last word.
But memoir, though it should certainly be fact-checked, is not reporting. And that is what sets Prescription for Pain apart from standing with the greats.
In fact, a more apt comparison for Prescription for Pain would be Andrew Jarecki's HBO series The Jinx, as both Eil and Jarecki inject themselves into the story they are telling. This is not to bash The Jinx, or, by extension, bash Prescription for Pain. But there is a distinct difference between the neutral, exhaustive reporting of a story and the memoir-adjacent reflections on the author's own reporting of that story.
To be fair, Eil has done some topnotch research here. But the true subject of Prescription for Pain is not Volkman, or the opioid crisis, or even Volkman's patients. The true subject of Eil's reporting is Eil himself, as he shifts through his interest in (and tenuous connections to) Volkman's case. In many ways, this book reads like a memoir on how writers become interested in a topic. And Eil is FAR from the first person to turn a personal obsession into a critically acclaimed project. Much good writing comes from similar origins.
And what can be found in Prescription for Pain is, to be sure, fine prose coming from a dedication writer. I appreciate Eil's ending this book with an "In Memoriam" for the named patients of Volkman's that died, rather than allowing Volkman to have the last word.
But memoir, though it should certainly be fact-checked, is not reporting. And that is what sets Prescription for Pain apart from standing with the greats.
September 12, 2024
"Prescription for Pain" by Philip Eil is a compelling and deeply researched true crime narrative that explores the tragic consequences of the opioid epidemic through the story of Dr. Paul Volkman, once a promising physician turned "pill mill" operator. Eil's investigation, which spans over a decade and includes extensive interviews, Freedom of Information Act requests, and a meticulous examination of trial evidence, sheds light on how a single doctor's actions contributed to a national crisis.
Eil does an excellent job of humanizing the staggering numbers often associated with the opioid epidemic, bringing the focus down to a personal level. His portrayal of Volkman isn't just about a fall from grace; it’s a broader commentary on the failures of the healthcare system, regulatory oversight, and the devastating impact on patients and their families. The narrative is haunting and engaging, making it easy for readers to feel the weight of the epidemic's human toll.
What stands out in this book is Eil's ability to blend investigative journalism with compassionate storytelling. He presents the facts without sensationalism, allowing the stories of those affected by Volkman’s actions to speak for themselves. For anyone interested in true crime, the opioid crisis, or the intersections of personal and systemic failures, "Prescription for Pain" offers a nuanced and thoughtful exploration of these themes.
This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher, provided through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Eil does an excellent job of humanizing the staggering numbers often associated with the opioid epidemic, bringing the focus down to a personal level. His portrayal of Volkman isn't just about a fall from grace; it’s a broader commentary on the failures of the healthcare system, regulatory oversight, and the devastating impact on patients and their families. The narrative is haunting and engaging, making it easy for readers to feel the weight of the epidemic's human toll.
What stands out in this book is Eil's ability to blend investigative journalism with compassionate storytelling. He presents the facts without sensationalism, allowing the stories of those affected by Volkman’s actions to speak for themselves. For anyone interested in true crime, the opioid crisis, or the intersections of personal and systemic failures, "Prescription for Pain" offers a nuanced and thoughtful exploration of these themes.
This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher, provided through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
May 28, 2025
Prescription for Pain resonated a lot with me since i used to be a pharmacy technician in a state close to Ohio and one that the author also has ties to. I've seen first hand what the scripts these pill mills distribute entail and I've seen the effects on its patients. The author spent so many years meticulously researching and detailing the life of one Doctor in particular, but also the detriment that "pill mills" have on families and loved ones of those involved.
If you are expecting a shock factor from this book, as I kind of was hoping for, there is some slightly when the victims lives and deaths are discussed. Other than that this book is loaded with many facts, some which can get repetitive or superfluous, but the detail helps paint the scenes. There is a lot of who to blame involved, which the author is very unbiased in so you can form your own opinion, which I thought was very respectful. I wish there had been more specifics on certain points, but i know the author was limited on resources or lacked having access to them.
The ending repeats the details of each victims' demise but makes for an amazing tribute to them. Overall it took me awhile to get through this book, and I was never running to pick it up wondering what happens next. It is extremely informative and at times heartbreaking and I do appreciate the authors hard work and effort he put into it.
If you are expecting a shock factor from this book, as I kind of was hoping for, there is some slightly when the victims lives and deaths are discussed. Other than that this book is loaded with many facts, some which can get repetitive or superfluous, but the detail helps paint the scenes. There is a lot of who to blame involved, which the author is very unbiased in so you can form your own opinion, which I thought was very respectful. I wish there had been more specifics on certain points, but i know the author was limited on resources or lacked having access to them.
The ending repeats the details of each victims' demise but makes for an amazing tribute to them. Overall it took me awhile to get through this book, and I was never running to pick it up wondering what happens next. It is extremely informative and at times heartbreaking and I do appreciate the authors hard work and effort he put into it.
July 6, 2024
Paul Volkman had everything going for him - and no one knew that better than Paul himself. From a very bright young doctor with a very promising career, he delved into a life of crime, and a opioid addicts best friend.
Through this book, the author takes us on a journey of how this doctor, under pressure to bring home more money, and placing a lot of pressure on himself, began sliding down into a darker life. Instead of upholding the 'Do No Harm' oath that all doctors take, he began writing prescriptions, knowing that most of the pills were being sold. Moving from one job to another, he descended even more into the dark, working with a woman who had no medical license, and operating in a clinic that turned into one of the largest pill mills.
Through the DEA, an investigation began into Volkman, and what they uncovered was more than what they could have dreamed. Overdoses, pill milling, for profit care, and deaths that were looking more and more like murder, all from the negligence of a doctor.
What a great read! I really enjoyed this one. I had heard of Paul Volkman in passing, but never had the chance to learn more about his life and decent into crime. Highly recommend this one!
Through this book, the author takes us on a journey of how this doctor, under pressure to bring home more money, and placing a lot of pressure on himself, began sliding down into a darker life. Instead of upholding the 'Do No Harm' oath that all doctors take, he began writing prescriptions, knowing that most of the pills were being sold. Moving from one job to another, he descended even more into the dark, working with a woman who had no medical license, and operating in a clinic that turned into one of the largest pill mills.
Through the DEA, an investigation began into Volkman, and what they uncovered was more than what they could have dreamed. Overdoses, pill milling, for profit care, and deaths that were looking more and more like murder, all from the negligence of a doctor.
What a great read! I really enjoyed this one. I had heard of Paul Volkman in passing, but never had the chance to learn more about his life and decent into crime. Highly recommend this one!
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